Caught in the Crossfire (2010) Movie Review, Trailer and Poster

USA 2010
Director: Brian A Miller
Cast: 50 Cent, Jason Ambrose, Tim Fields, Sydney Hall, Richard T. Jones, Lyle Kanouse, Chris Klein
Rating: R
Release Date: 13 July 2010 (DVD)
Running Time: 1 hour 24 minutes

The Movie Review

I went to see this movie right after watching Sanctum (2011). I didn't really have preference that other than that aforementioned film about cave explorers. But since I still had plenty of time to spare (and cash too :-)) then Caught in the Crossfire was the best option I could find. This is a DTV movie AKA Direct to Video, so I was feeling kinda foolish to pay cinema ticket to see this one... *sigh* But, the combination of caramel popcorn and clean comfy air-conditioned studio was a much pleasant experience to me compared to just sitting drooling imagining when can I finally see Thor (2011)... :-|

Shoot! So, after doing Shalat Maghrib, I went to the studio armed with a big bucket of Popcorn and Iced Tea in a large cup. It turns out the studio was rather empty, I saw only seven people


CAUGHT In The CROSSFIRE
Storyline:
Cast:
Ending:
Overall:

other than me. I guess this movie was not so popular after all. And thing got a little bit unpleasant with a minor error in the movie projector... Doh! But luckily it's not for long. And I found the movie quality is actually above average for a DTV!

Two cops, partners, Shepherd (Adam Rodriguez) and Briggs (Chris Klein) are driven to confront each other after a mission gone fubar. These two police officers are from homicide and currently investigating the death of another detective. The only two witnesses are eventually brutally gunned down by the field officers. The witnesses are heartlessly eliminated in a strange coincidence that forces the current investigation come into a sudden halt. It makes Shepherd and Briggs thinks that it's a set up of leaving no witnesses.

This whole thing eventually imposes Shepherd and Briggs to be interrogated by Lieutenant Michaels (Michael Matthias) and Captain Emmett (Richard T. Jones). And they are even "directed" to admit guilty and be the infamous scapegoat of the whole Police Department. Who are the dirty cops and who are the clean ones? And who kills the poor detective?

For about more/less first half of the movie, we follow the plot through the accounts of Shepherd and Briggs while each of them is in their respective interrogation session.

To my own surprise, this action crime flick is not as brainless as one might think. It's rather a thinking movie with some suspense. You need to follow the story intently. The pace is fast so it leaves no room for us to be bored (if... action crime suspense is your fave genre) but it also means if you're leaving the studio to take a leak, then highly likely you'll get confused for the rest of the film.

But this low-budget film is not all about intricate conspiracy and word-fight or emotional drama of friendship and betrayal. The screenwriter (who's also the producer) also puts some gun fight scenes. The sound effect is great with deafening sound of the gun banging is cool but unfortunately the camerawork is over the top. Shaking the camera wildly to capture the intensity of the gun fights is great but only if it's not overused.

I actually like the movie and admire the screenplay for focusing on the story instead of other department. Low budget doesn't always means cheap. I found myself getting hooked with the flow of the story that I was pleasantly surprised by the twist! Yes, this film has a twist ladies and gents, and general moviegoers who seldom watch movie will likely also be taken by surprise. The twist is very good but it's such a shame that it doesn't come with a bang. The camerawork, the editing, the dialogue don't add much to the shocking value of the twist.

Opinion does vary, but I think Caught in the Crossfire is one of the movies that's actually decent enough to be screened on cinema. If you can get low-priced cinema ticket, such as on workdays, it's a decent movie to kill time.

© iwan pranowo of Movielogy.com
posted: Saturday, 14 May 2011 04:29 am